The Future of Consumerist

Over the last twelve years, Consumerist has been a steadfast proponent and voice on behalf of consumers, from exposing shady practices by secretive cable companies to pushing for action against dodgy payday lenders. Now, we’re joining forces with Consumer Reports, our parent organization, to cultivate the next generation of consumer advocacy.

Stay tuned as Consumerist’s current and future content finds its home as a part of the Consumer Reports brand. In the meantime, you can access existing Consumerist content below, and we encourage you to visit Consumer Reports to read the latest consumer news.

While there are those who find the smell of Axe body spray offensive (as anyone with a teenage brother/son going through that phase can attest to), using it as a weapon is an entirely different, more dangerous move. Police in Brooklyn say a bodega customer accused of using a stolen credit card fought back, biting a clerk on the arm before trying to light him on fire with Axe.

The shop’s owner told police that the 18-year-old suspect tried to pay for $174 worth of gum, soda, candy, detergent, cigarettes and such using a prepaid PayPal card, reports DNAInfo.com.

An employee working the counter thought something was fishy about the attempted transaction and confronted the suspect, keeping him from leaving. The teen then reportedly said he would go without the stuff, but instead the clerk called the owner to the shop.

That’s when some sort of brawl apparently started, with the suspect biting the worker on the arm and then grabbing a can of Axe body spray from a shelf, using a lighter to try and get a fire going while aiming at the worker, cops said.

It didn’t work, and police arrived to arrest him. He was charged with assault, criminal weapons possession, menacing and harassment.